FUTURE spacecraft could be shot into orbit from a giant flying air gun,
according to a US Air Force plan. The radical launch system would be fitted to
standard cargo planes in hours and could slash the cost of getting satellites
into space, its inventors say.
Launching satellites from the air saves rocket fuel and means you don’t need
to build expensive and cumbersome launch sites on the ground. The US already
uses Pegasus rockets slung beneath B-52 planes to put lightweight satellites
into orbit. But this system has its drawbacks. Rockets hooked beneath the
plane’s fuselage are limited in…
